CONFLICT ZONE
ASSESSING INFRA
All war is a symptom of man's failure as a thinking animal ~John Steinbeck
DAMAGE IN W WAR-TORN UKRAINE Satellite imagery, AI and geospatial technologies are being extensively used in conflict zone Ukraine for not just search and rescue missions, relief and rehabilitation efforts, and frontline emergency communications, but for accurate assessment of the magnitude of infrastructure damage as well. By Nibedita Mohanta
hen American author John Steinbeck visited the enthralling Kyiv in 1947, it was still recovering from the destruction wrought by the Second World War, and being rapidly reconstructed to match its majestic grandeur. Decades later, Ukraine has become the turf of the biggest conflict in Europe ever since the World War, which has upended the security architecture and brought the continent to a standstill, reviving the anxieties of the Cuban Missile Crisis, and endangering the future of energy security and green transition. The war has torn down critical infrastructure facilities, industrial enterprises, roads, highways, residential apartments, and farms, reducing large parts of Europe’s largest country and formerly vibrant cities to rubble. Unpredictability looms about which direction the war will take. Ukraine continues to make advances in the four eastern regions annexed by Russia, while the Kremlin’s missiles are hitting as far as western part of the country. As critical civilian infra, including power plants is being hit, accurate damage assessment is essential for post-war repair, reconstruction, and rehabilitation efforts. According to a recent statement by Ukrainian President, Volodymyr Zelensky, “30% of Ukraine’s power stations have been destroyed,
September-October 2022 | www.geospatialworld.net | 27
